Acting to protect the ocean – “Immersed In Change” Summit [fr]
On the occasion of World Oceans Day, the UN invites all stakeholders in our societies to “renew our action” in favor of the protection and preservation of the ocean: that is the meaning of the “Immersed In Change” summit organized in Costa Rica on June 7 and 8.
In preparation for the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC) that France will co-organize, with Costa Rica, in Nice in June 2025, the summit will bring together political leaders, members of civil society, the scientific community and the private sector to discuss best practices in ocean governance in San José (Costa Rica) on June 7 and 8, 2024.
The ocean, which covers 71% of the globe, is a complex ecosystem that provides essential services to life on Earth. It is today subject to strong and increasing pressures (pollution, destruction of habitats and loss of biodiversity, depletion of fish stocks, climate change, etc.) These pressures compromise its role in climate regulation, its economic contribution and thus our collective security.
In order to respond to these challenges, the “Immersed In Change” summit, organized by Costa Rica, will provide a space for exchange and sharing of experience on topics related to governance and health of the ocean. Hervé Berville, Secretary of State for the Sea and Biodiversity, will represent France there. He will reveal France’s ambition, shared with Costa Rica and the United Nations, for UNOC-3 which is structured around three major priorities:
- accelerate political mobilization and international processes linked to oceans,
- mobilize funding for the oceans and
- strengthen and better disseminate science.
France is driving exceptional political and diplomatic mobilization for the protection of the oceans, which will materialize in particular through the adoption of the Nice Ocean Agreements.
From June 3 to 6, 2024, in order to best prepare for this meeting, the National University of Costa Rica is coordinating, with the country’s other public universities, the organization of a scientific congress, the “Congress of the Integration of Knowledge for a sustainable ocean”, CISOS24. Researchers from all over the world are expected there, including a delegation of 25 researchers and representatives from French universities and research centers. The new measuring instrument for the health and governance of the Ocean, the International Panel for Ocean Sustainability (IPOS), will be presented. This congress foreshadows and announces the One Ocean World Scientific Congress which will open UNOC in Nice.